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Joel returns to his small hometown in Texas for the first time since high school to check on his brother who soon goes missing. Along with a former friend, Deputy Starsha Clark, and some of his brother's friends, they uncover the dark secrets the town is hiding. Why did Joel leave and vow to never return? What happened between him and Starsha? The town will do anything to keep their high school football team on top and the powerful people want to stay in power. Are the Bright Lands an urban legend or a horrible secret that people are willing to kill to protect? Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
I can’t remember who exactly on bookstagram recommended this book but I would like to file a complaint.
I should have known better once I started seeing comparisons to Stephen King but I thought I could handle a little supernatural horror. I didn’t realize it would be so tragic. Will probably have nightmares inspired by this one!
I should have known better once I started seeing comparisons to Stephen King but I thought I could handle a little supernatural horror. I didn’t realize it would be so tragic. Will probably have nightmares inspired by this one!
4.5 was it a thriller? Was it a mystery? Was it horror? No idea, but it was captivating with a sense of other. I'm very curious to read more of the authors works
4.5
THE BRIGHT LANDS was a wild ride and not at all what I was expecting. I find it hard to believe that this a debut novel written by John Fram as it's intense, detailed and so well-written. I found this book to be a mix between suspense and horror. Here are my thoughts:
What I liked:
-Multiple POV (I do have one complaint with this though, see below)
-Short chapters
-Set in a small town Texas with the Friday Night Lights football feel
-Author does a good job of pulling you and leaving you with cliff hangers
-A lot of the characters I liked: Joel, Clark, Bethany, Kimbra, Jamal
What I didn't like:
-I wanted more details on Dylan & Troy
-Wish the author had kept the book to maybe 3-4 perspectives instead of touching on all characters perspectives
-A lot of characters to keep track of & some unlikable characters
-It was a bit slow in the middle but I see why it was necessary!
Overall THE BRIGHT LANDS kept me guessing until the end but I definitely wanted some more closure before this one was over. I was completely shocked by the heavier elements in this book and would recommend to any suspense reader that likes a book with a horror twist!
THE BRIGHT LANDS was a wild ride and not at all what I was expecting. I find it hard to believe that this a debut novel written by John Fram as it's intense, detailed and so well-written. I found this book to be a mix between suspense and horror. Here are my thoughts:
What I liked:
-Multiple POV (I do have one complaint with this though, see below)
-Short chapters
-Set in a small town Texas with the Friday Night Lights football feel
-Author does a good job of pulling you and leaving you with cliff hangers
-A lot of the characters I liked: Joel, Clark, Bethany, Kimbra, Jamal
What I didn't like:
-I wanted more details on Dylan & Troy
-Wish the author had kept the book to maybe 3-4 perspectives instead of touching on all characters perspectives
-A lot of characters to keep track of & some unlikable characters
-It was a bit slow in the middle but I see why it was necessary!
Overall THE BRIGHT LANDS kept me guessing until the end but I definitely wanted some more closure before this one was over. I was completely shocked by the heavier elements in this book and would recommend to any suspense reader that likes a book with a horror twist!
I wanted so badly to love this book while I was reading it. A potentially great feat of storytelling muddied by an incomplete, confusing, supernatural “twist.” It has been a long time since a book has taken me this long to read, but I constantly found myself needing a break from the frustration of a great plot being ruined.
This had the potential to be a really important story about acceptance and discrimination in a hyper masculine culture, but instead of sticking to an already difficult and heartbreaking storyline the author continues to add in confusing hints to something more ominous and supernatural. This supernatural element is never really resolved, and while I can see the metaphor Fram was trying to reach for, it fell short.
I found myself increasingly disappointed every time Fram alluded to a supernatural element. It never added to the story, and never (for me) added more suspense or fear. The narrative being played out is ominous enough, there is more than enough reason for the characters involved in this secret to be willing to risk everything to prevent it from coming out. The realities alluded to in the book are far more terrifying than the attempt at spooking us with a supernatural element.
I added an extra star for a touching Acknowledgements section, which included more context and made me feel for the people involved in the creation of this book. That being said, an overall disappointing read
This had the potential to be a really important story about acceptance and discrimination in a hyper masculine culture, but instead of sticking to an already difficult and heartbreaking storyline the author continues to add in confusing hints to something more ominous and supernatural. This supernatural element is never really resolved, and while I can see the metaphor Fram was trying to reach for, it fell short.
I found myself increasingly disappointed every time Fram alluded to a supernatural element. It never added to the story, and never (for me) added more suspense or fear. The narrative being played out is ominous enough, there is more than enough reason for the characters involved in this secret to be willing to risk everything to prevent it from coming out. The realities alluded to in the book are far more terrifying than the attempt at spooking us with a supernatural element.
I added an extra star for a touching Acknowledgements section, which included more context and made me feel for the people involved in the creation of this book. That being said, an overall disappointing read
What the heck am I supposed to say?
Aside from the writing that was only okay, the fact that I skimmed the last 100 pages, the reveal and the plot, this book had very little going for it.
The premise, mainly, was the only good thing. I was expecting queer horror, which this isn’t. It’s not. The main character is gay? Doesn’t make it queer.
I did like the Lovecraftian parts of this book, for sure. Also I really liked that we got to see the mystery slowly unrevealing through different POVs.
But the reveal. Really? Didn’t figure out anything more homophobic? The whole thing now reads as though it was written by a far right, aggressive Christian. Which isn’t a good thing.
I’m honestly very disappointed. Every character was a stereotype, from Joel to the cheerleaders to the side characters. There was very little development for anyone.
So, so disappointed.
Aside from the writing that was only okay, the fact that I skimmed the last 100 pages, the reveal and the plot, this book had very little going for it.
The premise, mainly, was the only good thing. I was expecting queer horror, which this isn’t. It’s not. The main character is gay? Doesn’t make it queer.
I did like the Lovecraftian parts of this book, for sure. Also I really liked that we got to see the mystery slowly unrevealing through different POVs.
But the reveal. Really? Didn’t figure out anything more homophobic? The whole thing now reads as though it was written by a far right, aggressive Christian. Which isn’t a good thing.
I’m honestly very disappointed. Every character was a stereotype, from Joel to the cheerleaders to the side characters. There was very little development for anyone.
So, so disappointed.
I received a galley of this book from NetGalley and Hanover Square Press in exchange for my honest review. This in no way affected my review of this book!
I was absolutely and completely blown away by this book. I cannot believe it is John Fram’s debut novel because it was so stellar and attention grabbing. I did not want to put this book down, especially for the second half.
This book centers around Joel Whitley, who has returned to his hometown of a small Texas town after 11 years after he was unceremoniously outed through a scandal and left the anti-gay town, because he is getting mysterious texts from his younger brother, Dylan, about wanting to quit the football team, surprising coming from the star quarterback. Not really a surprise, but when Joel returns to town, Dylan goes missing and turns up dead a few days later.
This really hit home for me because I am also from Texas (not a very conservative small town, but the most conservative county in a very conservative state nonetheless), I am bi, and I now live in Brooklyn. I also have a younger brother who still lives in Texas. I completely related to Joel on so many aspects of his life and personality and while he has lived a very different life from me in many respects, I felt connected to him on a very deep level, and that certainly helped my love of and deep understanding of the protagonist of this book.
The mystery of this book begins when Joel receives the first text and it doesn’t stop until you are in the climax of the novel. Even then, there is still mystery after mystery being uncovered throughout the big, intense climax, and I could not believe all of the things that this book put me through, emotion and stress wise. About 40% of the way into this book is the first big twist and they, quite literally, do not stop coming from there until the end of the book. The premise, dialogue, characterization, imagery, narration, everything about this book is utterly fantastic.
The characters are one of the book’s strongest points. Joel is a great narrator and seeing his shifting arc throughout the book was so gratifying and well written. Starsha Clark, the deuteragonist, was a great character as well. Clark is a cop who stayed in Bentley, their small town, who also used to date Joel in high school and was obviously very hurt when the scandal occurred way back when. They work really well together throughout the book and it was great getting to see their developing relationship, knowing that they had a tumultuous past. One of my favorite parts of the book was getting perspectives of the high school characters as well. Bethany (Dylan’s girlfriend), Jamal (Dylan’s best friend), Kimbra (a cheerleader with Bethany and the girlfriend of an important character, KT), and Luke (a football player and Dylan’s ex-best friend from middle school) all had multiple narration chapters throughout the book and it was honestly one of my favorite parts of the book. Learning about what they knew about the mystery, what they didn’t know, and getting information revealed through their narration was such a smart move and it made for such an interesting and exciting read.
One of the most intriguing parts of this book was the maybe supernatural element. Throughout the book, I wasn’t quite sure if there actually was something supernatural going on, or if it was all some deeper metaphor, but during the climax, I think I really understood that the supernatural element was intrinsic to the town of Bentley, to the homophobia, to the most important aspects of this book. It made for a very Stephen King-esque twist that just made this book all the more interesting.
I didn’t want to put this book down once I hit the first big twist of the book, like I mentioned. I mean, I was reading this in every spare minute I had—on the subway, (of course), as I was walking to the train stations, during my lunch breaks, during our 10 minute breaks during long classes, waiting at a restaurant for my roommate to show up. I finished this book with bated breath and I didn’t want it to end. I am still blown away that this was the debut novel of the author because it did not feel like that at all.
I am seriously recommending this book to everyone. I hate that it doesn’t come out until July because I would buy a copy now and lend it to everyone I know until they read it and could talk about it with me. The combination of a few different genres left me very excited to see what else this author is going to have in store in the future, because if the writing, characters, and plot are anything like this book, I am going to be racing to buy it in the future, just like everyone should be doing with this book. If you have the means and chance to request a galley and read it before the book comes out, you should do it, and then you should message me so we can talk about it. Anyone who is a fan of mysteries, thrillers, supernatural books, books with multiple POVs, LGBT+ books... anyone who is a fan of reading should read this book. I cannot recommend it enough.
Rating: 5 stars
I was absolutely and completely blown away by this book. I cannot believe it is John Fram’s debut novel because it was so stellar and attention grabbing. I did not want to put this book down, especially for the second half.
This book centers around Joel Whitley, who has returned to his hometown of a small Texas town after 11 years after he was unceremoniously outed through a scandal and left the anti-gay town, because he is getting mysterious texts from his younger brother, Dylan, about wanting to quit the football team, surprising coming from the star quarterback. Not really a surprise, but when Joel returns to town, Dylan goes missing and turns up dead a few days later.
This really hit home for me because I am also from Texas (not a very conservative small town, but the most conservative county in a very conservative state nonetheless), I am bi, and I now live in Brooklyn. I also have a younger brother who still lives in Texas. I completely related to Joel on so many aspects of his life and personality and while he has lived a very different life from me in many respects, I felt connected to him on a very deep level, and that certainly helped my love of and deep understanding of the protagonist of this book.
The mystery of this book begins when Joel receives the first text and it doesn’t stop until you are in the climax of the novel. Even then, there is still mystery after mystery being uncovered throughout the big, intense climax, and I could not believe all of the things that this book put me through, emotion and stress wise. About 40% of the way into this book is the first big twist and they, quite literally, do not stop coming from there until the end of the book. The premise, dialogue, characterization, imagery, narration, everything about this book is utterly fantastic.
The characters are one of the book’s strongest points. Joel is a great narrator and seeing his shifting arc throughout the book was so gratifying and well written. Starsha Clark, the deuteragonist, was a great character as well. Clark is a cop who stayed in Bentley, their small town, who also used to date Joel in high school and was obviously very hurt when the scandal occurred way back when. They work really well together throughout the book and it was great getting to see their developing relationship, knowing that they had a tumultuous past. One of my favorite parts of the book was getting perspectives of the high school characters as well. Bethany (Dylan’s girlfriend), Jamal (Dylan’s best friend), Kimbra (a cheerleader with Bethany and the girlfriend of an important character, KT), and Luke (a football player and Dylan’s ex-best friend from middle school) all had multiple narration chapters throughout the book and it was honestly one of my favorite parts of the book. Learning about what they knew about the mystery, what they didn’t know, and getting information revealed through their narration was such a smart move and it made for such an interesting and exciting read.
One of the most intriguing parts of this book was the maybe supernatural element. Throughout the book, I wasn’t quite sure if there actually was something supernatural going on, or if it was all some deeper metaphor, but during the climax, I think I really understood that the supernatural element was intrinsic to the town of Bentley, to the homophobia, to the most important aspects of this book. It made for a very Stephen King-esque twist that just made this book all the more interesting.
I didn’t want to put this book down once I hit the first big twist of the book, like I mentioned. I mean, I was reading this in every spare minute I had—on the subway, (of course), as I was walking to the train stations, during my lunch breaks, during our 10 minute breaks during long classes, waiting at a restaurant for my roommate to show up. I finished this book with bated breath and I didn’t want it to end. I am still blown away that this was the debut novel of the author because it did not feel like that at all.
I am seriously recommending this book to everyone. I hate that it doesn’t come out until July because I would buy a copy now and lend it to everyone I know until they read it and could talk about it with me. The combination of a few different genres left me very excited to see what else this author is going to have in store in the future, because if the writing, characters, and plot are anything like this book, I am going to be racing to buy it in the future, just like everyone should be doing with this book. If you have the means and chance to request a galley and read it before the book comes out, you should do it, and then you should message me so we can talk about it. Anyone who is a fan of mysteries, thrillers, supernatural books, books with multiple POVs, LGBT+ books... anyone who is a fan of reading should read this book. I cannot recommend it enough.
Rating: 5 stars
Taking place in a small Texas town obsessed with football, this book immediately reminded me of Friday Night Lights. However, I can’t fully compare this book to anything else because so much of it is unique: the queer characters, the deep social commentary, the horror aspects. Basically, if you love football, horror, and thoughtful reads, pick up this book.
I loved the characters and the suspenseful tone that carried from the very first page. I loved the underlying question of “How so we reach glory?” that drove the plot. I loved how real the small, conservative Texas town felt and the way we met so many characters throughout the story. I loved that I never could have imagined the twists and turns this book takes.
I will say the ending of this was wild, and while I can lean into strong horror elements, I know those aren’t for everyone. If you read this, I’d love to hear your thoughts!
This would be a perfect fall read, especially when you’re really into the Halloween horror/football weekend mood!
I loved the characters and the suspenseful tone that carried from the very first page. I loved the underlying question of “How so we reach glory?” that drove the plot. I loved how real the small, conservative Texas town felt and the way we met so many characters throughout the story. I loved that I never could have imagined the twists and turns this book takes.
I will say the ending of this was wild, and while I can lean into strong horror elements, I know those aren’t for everyone. If you read this, I’d love to hear your thoughts!
This would be a perfect fall read, especially when you’re really into the Halloween horror/football weekend mood!
4 stars is possibly a bit generous, but this booked gripped me and it was very vivid and exciting to read. It starts out feeling like a crime/thriller/mystery book, about a town that is hiding a secret, and then when the climax hits, the story turns to horror/thriller. I liked the focus of the book on sexuality and masculinity in rural America and how that can devastate us all.
This is the author’s first novel and this is evidenced by some of the writing. Way too many characters to keep track of. The supernatural element of the book didn’t work for me as it didn’t make a lot of sense and just kind of shows up without context. I think the author could’ve done a better job by focusing in on only a few characters and introducing the supernatural elements much much earlier.
All in all, this book is something i haven’t seen done before and I thought it was exciting, minus a few corrections I would’ve made above.
This is the author’s first novel and this is evidenced by some of the writing. Way too many characters to keep track of. The supernatural element of the book didn’t work for me as it didn’t make a lot of sense and just kind of shows up without context. I think the author could’ve done a better job by focusing in on only a few characters and introducing the supernatural elements much much earlier.
All in all, this book is something i haven’t seen done before and I thought it was exciting, minus a few corrections I would’ve made above.